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Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia)
Early Life (1431-1456) Rodrico Borja was born in the small Spanish village of Xatina near Valencia. His father's last name was Escriva and his mother's last name was Borgia which he adopted due to his maternal uncle's rise to the position of Cardinal. After being sent to Bologna in Italy he was educated and consecrated in the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church in 1456. 'Rise to power ' Rodrico's uncle became Pope Calixtus III in 1456. Rodrico was appointed vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church by his uncle in 1468. Following this, Rodrico was made Bishop of Albano. He was quickly moved to the position of Cardinal. During all this time he served in the Roman Curia under 5 popes! In 1492, Pope Innocent VIII died suddenly. Through his family's backdoor channeling and bribing, Rodrigo was elected Pope Alexander VI. '''Papacy(1492-1503) Rodrico's election to the papacy made enemies for him especially among the Italian Sforza family who ruled the duchy of Milan, because they wanted the papacy. As a result, the new pope made an alliance with Charles VIII of France (ruled 1483-1498). This alliance against the Sforzas brought problems between the pope and the king of Naples. Through the intervention though of a Spanish ambassador, peace was made with Naples in 1493. In 1494 however, the king of Naples died and his son Alfonso became king. Charles VIII wanted to acquire Naples for himself. So the pope allowed the French army to pass through Rome. Suddenly alarmed at making Naples an enemy, Rodrico switched sides and declared war on France. This changed the tables around completely. The Sforzas in Milan made an alliance with the French. Thus sparking the Italian war. That same year, King Charles VIII of France crossed the Alps with his army and marched on Rome. On December 31st, the new pope was forced to come to terms with the French king. They signed a peace treaty and in 1495, the French conquered Naples with relative ease. Also to keep Rodrico in check, the king of France left many French Cardinals in Rome. But Rodrico removed them. That same year, a league was formed between the Papal States, Venice, Milan and Spain to counter the French. This is where the Italian war reached its climax. The alliance broke into France through the alps and Charles withdrew his forces from Naples thereafter. The war ended in 1496. With that, Rodrico began plotting to aggrandize his family's wealth and power even more. He poisoned most of the bishops and Cardinals and replaced them with family members. Shortly after this, the charismatic friar Savonarola came to power in Florence and opposed Rodrico. In 1498, Rodrico had the friar deposed and burnt at the stake. That same year, King Charles VIII of France died and was succeeded by Louis XII. Rodrico married his daughter Lucrezia into the French royal family to cement an alliance with Louis. in 1499, Rodrico, Louis and the Doge of Venice made a pact to removed the Sforza family from Milan. Rodrico sent his son Cesare who was commander of the Papal armies to conquer the duchies of northern Italy and then finish off Milan. But by 1500, the campaign failed and Cesare returned to Rome in defeat. In 1503, the pope while dining with Cesare and a certain Cardinal became ill and died that day Category:Bishops of Rome